Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez are giving $50 million to both actor and activist Eva Longoria and retired Navy Adm. William McRaven as recipients of the Bezos Courage and Civility Award.
In a post on Instagram, Sanchez said she and Bezos were “humbled and honored” to announce the winners, who she said will use the funds to “take on some of the causes that they are deeply passionate about.”
The annual prize has previously been awarded to Van Jones, a lawyer and CNN commentator; chef José Andrés; and singer Dolly Parton.
Longoria, best known for her role on the ABC television series “Desperate Housewives” (2004-2012), founded the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012 with a mission to “help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship.”
In addition to his naval career, McRaven is former chancellor of the University of Texas System. In a statement to CNN, he said he wants to use the gift to focus on three areas: educating the children of deceased veterans, particularly in the special operations community; the mental health and brain performance of veterans; and helping to develop future military leaders through education.
Bezos, with a net worth of $201 billion, is the second richest person in the world behind LVHM chairman Bernard Arnault, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Bezos was briefly on top of the list earlier this month after overtaking Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
